The Sun and the MoonA Warrior Cats Fan Fiction
by Foxsong3434
Summary: Nightpaw is an apprentice and about to become a warrior. Her assessment is a day away, but then tragedy strikes. Her father is gone, her mother isn't acting like her mother, the SunClan leader is demanding great things from his warriors, and lies make the air thick. Can she find refuge in the neighboring Clan and whisk away the troubles in her own?
1. Allegiances

**SunClan**

Leader

Wolfstar-Large grey tom

Deputy

Oakfrost-Brown and grey tom

Medicine Cat

Bluewater-Blue-grey she-cat

Warriors

Ravenflight-Black and grey she-cat with long limbs

Blackcloud-Black tom with four white patches

Fernwhisker-Nervous grey tabby tom (Apprentice, Greypaw)

Leafheart-Light-footed white tom

Smallflower-Small brown and white she-cat (Apprentice, Nightpaw)

Yellowfur-Tan tom with amber eyes (Apprentice, Cherrypaw)

Wildheart-Friendly grey tabby tom

Gingerfern-Ginger tabby she-cat with green eyes

Apprentices

Nightpaw-Black she-cat with an amber eye and a blue eye

Greypaw-Small grey tom

Cherrypaw-Ginger she-cat

Queens

Hawkwing-Brown she-cat

Daisypetal-Grey she-cat with white spots (Thornkit, Sandkit)

Elders

Dustheart-Tan and white tom

Quailwing-Brown tabby tom

 **MoonClan**

Leader

Dapplestar-Grey tom with darker spots

Deputy

Dewfeather-Thick-furred blue-grey she-cat

Medicine Cat

Lightbreeze-Tan tom with white stripes

Warriors

Applefire-Ginger tom

Lizardtail-Brown she-cat with a long tail

Whitedawn-Cream she-cat

Duskpelt-Grey and black tom

Flowerheart-White she-cat

Tawnybird-Small brown tabby she-cat

Thrushdapple-Spotted brown tom

Berrypelt-Cream tom with grey spots

Fawnleg-Light brown long-limbed she-cat

Apprentices

Birchpaw-White she-cat with black spots

Rabbitpaw-Brown tom

Mousepaw-Grey and white tom

Dawnpaw-Tan she-cat

Queens

Gorsefoot-Grey tabby she-cat

Elders

Squirrelheart-Thick-furred brown tom


	2. Prologue

Prologue

Nightpaw skidded to a halt as she watched the two cats fight from her quickly-found spot in the bracken. She knew one was Wildheart, her father, but she did not recognize the other cat in the low light from the setting sun. All she could scent was SunClan; she assumed it was because the territory was strongly scent-marked. Nightpaw gasped as Wildheart's opponent overpowered him and knocked Wildheart down with a powerful swipe of his paw, growled, then padded into the undergrowth. Springing out of her place in the bracken, Nightpaw rushed over to her father's unmoving body. Wildheart's breaths were shallow, and there was a large gash on his chest, obviously made by a cat.

"Nightpaw…" Wildheart murmured, stretching out his shaking paw towards his daughter.

"Wildheart…" Nightpaw mewed nervously.

Wildheart let his paw drop and took one deep breath before he stopped breathing altogether.

"No..." Nightpaw whispered sadly as she sheathed and unsheathed her claws and hung her head. "Please, StarClan, no…" She touched her nose to her father's, then took off towards the camp as fast as she could run. Stopping at the entrance of the cave where her Clan's camp was, she paused to catch her breath before lifting her head. "Wildheart, he's…he's gone!" she wailed.

"Take me to him!" Gingerfern commanded as she stood up from her place near Wolfstar's den. Nightpaw led her mother as fast as she could to where she was only a little while before. Gingerfern saw her mate's body and buried her nose into his fur, muttering in mourning. Nightpaw could barely breathe; running quickly after witnessing her father's death was drained her energy and took her breath away, and had left her dazed. Nightpaw's mother picked up Wildheart's lifeless body by his scruff and began to take it back to camp.

"Don't just stand there!" she hissed to Nightpaw, who stood off to the side, shaking. "Help me!"

Nightpaw only nodded and helped Gingerfern out. By the time they got back to the cave, their Clanmates had gathered around the entrance, waiting for them. Wolfstar had appeared to be barely mourning his Clanmate, Nightpaw had noticed, and that he also seemed quite surprised to find that Nightpaw and Gingerfern had found Wildheart's body so quickly.

"We have lost a warrior tonight," Wolfstar meowed to his grief-stricken Clan. "Wildheart hunts with StarClan now. We will hold a vigil for him tonight."

For the vigil, Wildheart was placed on the smooth, round rock right outside of the camp. The stars were shining brightly for a little bit after the sun set, but then clouds covered over them and only one could be seen. Nightpaw bowed her head and silently prayed for her father as the moon shone down to the mournful scene. As the sun rose, Dustheart and Quailwing came forward to bury Wildheart.

"You poor thing! I'm so sorry!" Smallflower mewed to Nightpaw. "What could have put an end to such a brave and strong warrior?"

"We all wish it didn't happen," Greypaw added gloomily.

"Thank you," Nightpaw answered. "It means so much for you to comfort me."

Smallflower apologized "I'm sorry, we would leave you to do whatever you want, but we need to assess you today. Wolfstar's had it planned since last full moon."

"It's okay," Nightpaw replied, shifting on her paws. "Wildheart will hopefully watch my warrior ceremony from StarClan."

"Okay, then. Greypaw, please fetch Blackcloud. Then we'll begin," Smallflower explained. With a nod, Greypaw bounded off to find the warrior and brought him back quickly.

"Let's start," Blackcloud said, walking off towards a meadow near the camp, followed by Smallflower and Nightpaw. "Hunt whatever you can find." Then he and Smallflower disappeared into the undergrowth around them.

Nightpaw scented the air and noticed a rabbit nibbling on some grass in an open area. There was no way to hunt it without pursuing it, so Nightpaw moved as close as she could to the rabbit, then sprang out towards it. The rabbit took off, but Nightpaw focused on moving her legs quickly and, with astonishing speed, caught it within a few strides. Burying it, she looked around and perceived a hawk flying in the vicinity of the camp.

"Daisypetal's kits!" Nightpaw exclaimed, and ran as fast as she could towards the cave. As Nightpaw approached it, the hawk had dipped closer to where Daisypetal was playing with her kits. The hawk was a fox-length from the ground and a fox-length from Nightpaw. Bunching her muscles, she sprang up at it and grasped its wings in her claws and bit at its neck. With a screech, the hawk tumbled to the ground, Nightpaw still clinging to it. Nightpaw hit the rock below her hard and felt her breath whisk away. Cats swarmed around her as she fought to take a breath, and when she did, Bluewater was checking her over.

"Lucky apprentice! You only got the wind knocked out of you," the medicine cat purred. "If Wolfstar doesn't make you a warrior today, then I'll be a mouse!"

As if on cue, Wolfstar called out "May all cats of SunClan gather to hear my words! Nightpaw is to be a warrior!" from his perch on the Sunledge, a ledge jutting out from the cave wall that a crack in the top let sun shine down.

The Clan gathered around, and Nightpaw weakly stepped forward, chest heaving.

"You have shown the courage of a warrior today, Nightpaw. Your warrior name will be Nightwish," Wolfstar announced.

"Nightwish! Nightwish!" cried the Clan. Nightwish dipped her head and went to sit outside for her vigil as the Clan dispersed, almost ignoring the congratulations of the other cats. The sun was just setting, and Nightwish thought in silence. A young tom with a shining tan tabby pelt seemed to have come from nowhere and made his way towards Nightwish.

"Ah, a new warrior, I see?" he purred. "Congrats, Nightwish. Your father watches you from Silverpelt-he is proud of you. I am Goldenfern, and I am here to tell you something. A sign from the stars told us this-clouds will hide the shining stars, and the night will see through them when others cannot and whisk the clouds away." And with that, the cat disappeared.

Nightwish was in awe. So much had happened in the past few days: her father was killed, she battled off a hawk, she was made a warrior, and a StarClan cat came to her. When dawn was breaking, not far from her, a mouse and a rabbit walked beneath a birch tree with grey leaves and cherries poking out between them. Nightwish gasped and blinked. Then the scene was gone.


End file.
